


Valentine's Day in Meridian

by VidalsQueen



Series: Leather & Lace: Romance Week 2018 [3]
Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, F/M, Fluff, Mild Smut, Romance, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 06:33:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13676229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VidalsQueen/pseuds/VidalsQueen
Summary: Erend wants to do something special for Aloy to show her how much he cares.Leather and Lace: Romance Week, Day 3Trope: Valentine's Day





	Valentine's Day in Meridian

Erend stood overlooking the Maizelands. His eyes captivated by the waving wheat blowing in the breeze. It had been weeks since he’d seen Aloy and he was finding any excuse to distract himself. But at the moment, thoughts of her distracted him from his duties. He knew he had done things to mess up their relationship, but she’d come back and he’d done everything he could to prove his love.

Hadn’t he?

He replayed the few days she’d spent in his home. He’d had to work, so he couldn’t spend as much time with her as he’d wanted to, but he was able to give her his gift of a crafting room. He had made sure to come home after his shift was over. He took her to meet his friends in the Vanguard. They had made love and she’d been there every morning when he woke up. 

Was it enough?

He wasn’t sure. He knew she was out there with Nil. Was he calling her away from him? No, that was stupid. She wasn’t leaving him for some other man. She had her own mission. But he also knew he wasn’t the only man in her heart. They had talked about Nil being her first and he knew she also loved Avad. It didn’t change the way he felt about her. She was fire and passion. She was wild and untamable. She had a compassionate heart and a strong mind. She was her own woman in every way. If he could have her only part of the time, he would use that time to the best of his advantage. 

Over the last few days, he had been making preparations for her return. He wasn’t sure what had possessed him to do some of the things he’d done, but he had purchased fresh cut flowers to decorate the house. He went to the market and found lavender scented soaps and oils, hoping he’d be able to use them to shower and massage her. He’d convinced Avad to give him some of the expensive chocolate delicacies that had been brought to the palace. He’d found a few pieces of Banuk jewelry, knowing she favored the colors they used and some new beads for her hair. And when word came that she was headed to the palace, he was prepared to go to the smokehouse and pick up a roasted chicken and trimmings for a quiet dinner at home. 

He hoped all of these things would show her he thought about her all the time. The fact that he’d picked up little things he knew she would like, the time and effort he put into one night with her. He was nervous about the romantic gesture. He’d never attempted anything so soft, so ridiculous. Would a machine hunter, a true warrior, even like the things he’d done?

“Captain,” a scout called out to him, “Her Broadhead has been spotted just hours outside the city.”

Erend couldn’t help the smile that crossed his lips. This was it. He didn’t even respond, his feet pulling him toward the smokehouse and his final preparations.

Aloy was exhausted and dirty. She had been on the trail for far too long and needed to relax and rest. Her plaits were coated with a thin layer of grime and her body was sticky with sweat. She felt gross. She could only think of the hot steam of Erend’s shower and the cool bed sheets that awaited her upon her arrival to Meridian. It seemed that the last few days all she had done was stop innocent people from falling victim to large machines. Why those who didn’t hunt machines regularly thought they could take down Thunderjaws and Longlegs was beyond her. While Longlegs weren’t particularly large, they were fast and had debilitating screeches that could immobilize their targets. 

A sandstorm swept across the desert rise to Meridian, adding to the grime already coating her body. She groaned as she felt the grit in her teeth, felt the dust stick to the wet parts of her body. 

As she neared the gates, she dismounted her Broadhead and added her own dust storm to the atmosphere. It was caked into her armor. She tried beating some of the excess off, but the wind simply whipped it back into her face. 

Shower, shower, shower, became a mantra in her head as she made her way home. Home. That was what it was now, not Erend’s home, but hers as well. He had ensured that by making room for her and her things. She was still surprised that she considered anywhere but Rost’s cabin home, but she had told herself many times that with him gone, there was nothing there for her anymore. 

The scents of the marketplace had her stomach growling. She hadn’t even realized she was hungry until that moment. She was tempted to stop and grab a skewer of boar, but when she reached for her shard purse, she saw how dirty her hands were and decided it was still best to shower first. 

Finally, she reached the front door and sighed a breath of relief. She knew Erend wouldn’t be home yet and she could get cleaned up before he got home. He wouldn’t have to see the disgusting figure the desert wind had carved. 

However, when she pushed open the door, he stood in front of her. He wore a nice, clean tunic and what appeared to be new trousers. His eyes lit up and he approached with his arms open, ready to pull her into his embrace.

She held her hands up. “Wait, Erend. No, I am gross.”

His arms wrapped around her and he pulled her into a hug. “I don’t care. I’m just happy you are here.”

When he pulled away, Aloy was able to take in the rest of the room. There were candles lit on the fireplace mantle, the dining table and nearly every other surface in the small living room. Dinner was laid out on the dining table and there was a bottle of wine and two glasses. Wrapped parcels sat next to those. 

“What is all this?”

“Nothing. Come on.” He took her hand and led her to the bathing room. 

Inside the room was already steamy, the shower already turned on. He turned to her and began removing her armor. She wanted to tell him she could do it herself, to not get himself dirty, but after he had removed her vest and skirt, he stripped down himself before returning to remove the rest of her clothes. 

They stepped into the warm stream together and Erend picked up a large sponge. He worked soap into it and when it was thick with lather, he began to slide it over Aloy’s skin. The sponge was surprisingly soft and it clung to the grit, wiping it away easily. He massaged the soap into her back and down her legs, ensuring that even her feet were clean and then spun her around and performed the same to her chest and belly. 

When the rest of her body was clean, he gently stroked the sponge between her legs and brought his lips to hers. The sponge was discarded and his fingers slid between her folds as he wiped away and soapy residue. 

Aloy’s breath caught in her throat. She had gone from feeling completely disgusting to completely on fire for the man standing in front of her, but he wasn’t finished. He rubbed more of the soap into a lather and slid his fingers through her hair. The sensation had her closing her eyes and reminding her just how tired she had been only a few minutes ago. 

Erend finished up his ministrations in the shower and stepped out to retrieve a fluffy towel, using it to pat her skin dry, and then wrapping her hair and squeezing the excess water from it. 

After he had finished drying her off, he took her hand and led her back into the living room where he had a silk Carja sleeping gown ready for her to wear. The cool silk against her flesh was a welcome relief from the heat of the shower and her last few days of travel under the Sundom’s unrelenting sun. 

They took their seats across from each other at the dining table. 

“I made sure not to get potatoes.” Erend smiled.

Aloy took a moment to look around the room as Erend carved the meat from the small chicken. The candles cast shadows over the room and it felt like they were in a cave with very little light filtering in through the cracks, but she found she liked it. And there were flowers, some with light purple petals, some white and all fragrant enough to carry their scent over the smell of the roasted meat.

“Erend, what is all of this?” She gestured to the room, indicating the candles and flowers. 

“Like I said, nothing. I just wanted to do something special for you, to show you how much I adore you.” He poured some wine into her glass and pushed her plate over to her. 

“I like it.”

They shared the meal, talking about their time spent apart. He told her about the lack of word from the West, but they were still making preparations. She told him about finishing off the bandit camps and how many others were beginning to turn away at the border, knowing if they came into the Sundom they would be facing her. Erend laughed at that but said he wasn’t surprised. 

When the meal was over, Aloy’s exhaustion threatened to overtake her again, but it seemed Erend’s plans were not yet complete. He handed her three small wrapped parcels. 

“What is this for? It is not my name-day.” 

“They are just things that reminded me of you.”

She opened each parcel. First was a small container of wooden beads, painted in green, yellow and blue. They were the same size as the ones she wore in her hair. Perfect to keep her plaits from falling out. The next two held necklaces, one a blue crystal she had never seen before but was in the most interesting starburst pattern and then another with beads intertwined with more of the crystals interspersed in the braided design. 

“They are beautiful, Erend. Thank you.” She slid the beaded necklace over her head and fingered the tiny blue crystals. She tried to remember the last time anyone had given her a gift and her thoughts went immediately to the Proving and Rost’s necklace. That was the only other gift she could remember receiving other than her name-day gifts and those were usually some new weapon or crafting material. She couldn’t help the tear that slid down her cheek at the memory. She had tried so hard not to think about that day, to remember that the bone necklace was the only thing she had to remember the man who had raised her. 

“Aloy, I’m sorry. Did I do something wrong? Do you not like the necklace?” He took her hands and crouched down in front of her. 

“No. I love them. It’s just…” She didn’t want to ruin this moment with thoughts of Rost.

“I love you, Erend.”

He needed no other prompting. He lifted her from her chair, the slits on each side of her gown allowing her to wrap her legs around him, and he carried her to the couch. 

“I love you, too, Aloy,” he whispered as his lips fell on hers.


End file.
